The Night Before Life Goes On
by wfea
Summary: DxS. Songfic about Sam leaving Danny behind for something she feels like she's supposed to do. There, she gives practical advice to another person. Better than you may think.


So, my first songfic. I hope I do good!! Um, before reading the story, read this: The details in this are supposed to be eatchy (is that a word?) Basically, there's not gonna be many. There'll be a bit of background, then WHAM! what you actually need to know. It's supposed to be short, sweet, and to the point.

And make sure and at least read the words to the song (at least when you're nearing then end) or else the plot will be very mixed up and weird and you'll be justa little on the short side. And I don't know just a few words in the song, but you'll know which part that is. That said,

Italics are flashbacks, bold is the song, and

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Danny Phantom. If I did, nothing would ever be done or finished because I procrastinate and you'd hate the endings of the show. I also don't own the song "The Night Before (Life Goes On)" by Carrie Underwood.

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**  
**_Danny, Sam, and Tucker were seniors now. It'd been a long, four years of high school drama, but now--beginning the very next day--life was going to really start. Of course, high school had been very exciting, especially for the three friends. They'd had to keep Danny's secret along with everything else that had gone on. And through it all, only his parents had discovered his deepest secret._

**Sitting up on the roof  
sneaking a smoke by the chimney  
checking out the moon   
and the city lights.**

_Right now, Danny and Sam, official couple of two years, were sitting on top of the Ops Center. They'd convinced Danny's parents to turn off every possible light so they could see the stars and other lights the city offered._

_"Can you believe, Danny? Everything just seems so different," Sam commented, eye-lids half closed._

_"Yeah. I still can't believe this is our last night together. Why do you have to leave?" _

_"It's just part of growing up, I guess. Some things have to be given up so that you can pursue what you feel lead to." _

_"But you're moving across the country." _

**Takes off his flanel shirt  
and he drapes it around her shoulders  
slides up behind her and holds on tight.  
And she says "I don't want this night to end; why does it have end?" **

_He slid closer to Sam as she said, _

_"Ya know, Danny, I'd be happy if this night never, ever ended. That way, tomorrow would never come and I wouldn't have to move across the country. And we could just stare all night."_

_"That would be a dream come true for me. You wouldn't leave, and I could have a better place."_

_"Come on now. You have that nice little job downtown, and you're also Phantom. That's nice too." _

_"Yeah, because the superhero gig pays _so_ much."_

**Tomorrow she'll be rolling down I10, Baton Rouge, LSU, eighteen years in her rearview.  
He's got a Friday paycheck lined up down the block, at daddy's shop, it ain't much but it's a job.  
They've been insert part i don't know all summer long.  
The night before, life goes on.**

Sam had seen other guys since that night; what do you expect when she moves away from her home to another state and coastline? But she hadn't settled down. She'd never found the right guy. When she left Amity Park five years ago to pursue her job, she knew she was also leaving the one guy who she knew was for her. She'd just felt more lead to her job, though. She couldn't explain it. It was like she and Danny were _supposed _to not see each other anymore. Techically, they'd never broken it off. But they'd agreed that trying to stay in touch across the country was silly and they shouldn't limit themselves while that far apart, and should _see other people _was how they left it.

**A tear falls off her check  
and right when it hits his arm he says,  
"Come on baby, let's get out of here." **

**Take one last drive around town  
and man it already looks different.  
He bangs the wheel and says, "Life ain't fair.  
"This growing up stuff man I don't know. I just don't wanna let ya go."**

_Danny stood up and stuck out his hand. "Well, might as well make the best of the time we have left." He transformed into Danny Phantom, and Sam smiled, taking the hand he'd offered. They took to the skies and looked at the city._

_"Wow, this doesn't even feel like home anymore," Sam told Danny._

_Danny was shocked. "What do you mean? Wherever you go, this will always be your home."_

_"I know that. What I meant was that, tomorrow I'm going to be moving to the other side of the country and that's going to be my actual home. I know I'll always be tied here, but it's not going to be where I'll live. That's what I meant." _

_"I don't like this."_

_"What don't you like, Danny?"_

_"Growing up! I mean, if I can't be with you--and it feels like we were made for each other--then I don't get the point of growing up." _

**Tomorrow she'll be rolling down I10, Baton Rouge, LSU, eighteen years in her rearview.  
He's got a Friday paycheck lined up down the block, at daddy's shop, it ain't much but it's a job.  
They've been insert part I don't know all summer long.  
The night before, life goes on. **

Sam put down the paper she was working on. She was about to take her break for that day. Walking out into the crowded streets of the city she'd lived in for five years, she found the coffee shop she enjoyed visiting. The local gossip, ins and outs, and friendly service, all while drinking the best cappuccino in town. The bell above the door announced her arrival.

"Hey, Sam," the worker, whose name was Sandy, greeted.

"Hey, Sandy. You know what I like." With that, Sandy went to fixing Sam's order. Sam sat down at the counter bar and had barely set her purse on the counter when she noticed a puffy eyed blonde sitting a few seats down. She struggled for a minute on whether or not she should get involved in whatever was going on, but finally decided it couldn't hurt anything.

She slid into the seat next to the girl and asked, "Something wrong?" The girl looked at Sam and shook her head no, although anyone could tell she was lying. "Are you sure? I mean, I know I'm a stranger and all but--thanks," Sam thanked Sandy, laying out the price of the cappuccino on the counter. "I don't mind if you dump anything on me."

"I don't want to talk about it. My friend's have already tried, so there's no way I'd spill to a complete stranger, no offence," she finally replied.

"None taken. It's just, I wouldn't want to tell my friends anything either if I already knew what they would say. I mean, if you know the advice they'll give before they give it, why not get it from a totally different point of view?" Sam stood up and was going to move back down when the girl's voice made her stop and smile.

"It's my boyfriend. I have to move in a couple of days and he understands and all, but we don't know what to do. We both just gradutated high school in the spring and decided on jobs we'd like to pursue and everything. Turns out, the best education I can get for my job is in California. We don't know if we can handle being apart, but he wants the best for me."

Sam had sat back down halway through the explanation and looked down almost the whole time.

"I'm sorry. It's teen stuff you probably don't want to worry yourself with and--"

"No, no. It's fine. It's just--I went through the exact same thing when I was eighteen. My job required me to come here and leave my boyfriend on the other side of the country. We had a hard time and a whole lot of questions, but we ended up sticking to our plans."

"Are you married? Oh, sorry for the question. My friends tell me I'm very blunt."

Sam laughed. "It's alright. My friends told me the same thing; actually even my new friends tell me that. And no. I've dated some really nice guys, but realized that the one guy made for me on this planet is back across the country."

"Then shouldn't you move back if you know he's the one?"

"Love's a lot, but not everything. You do what you're supposed to do and it works out." I stood up. "My mom actually told me that, but I didn't want to listen. Back then, she didn't know anything." We both laughed. "Well, maybe I was supposed to leave my home and family, and boyfriend to tell you that. Hope it helps."

**Yeah, that's what my momma told me,  
and just like those kids I didn't wanna listen to no one.  
Yeah, there's nothing you can do, there's nothing you can say,  
and I know how it feels when love goes away.**

She was almost to the door when the news caught her attention.

"And the group, _Phantom _is supposed to arrive here today as the next stop on their tour. Aren't we all excited that we will finally be able to see who the members of _Phantom _are. After the tapes always turn up missing after every performence they've had, we will most definatly be keeping a close eye on ours so that other towns will finally know the identity of this mysterious band before they get their town."

Sam scowled. How she _hated _that band. She only wondered how bad Danny hated them for making their group name Phantom. She hadn't ever heard their music or seen them for that matter (for some mysterious reason, every tape that held any footage of _Phantom _doing anything had never been found the day after it was filmed. They'd all dissappered before public eye could view it. It was like they didn't want to be known nationwide) but Sam had a feeeling they were a horrible band ruining a perfect name.

The bell rang through out the small coffee shop. Sam turned to see who it was. It was a group of guys, but the first one stood out to her.

He had longish black hair and black pants. He had a black shirt on with an emblem Sam never thought she'd ever see again, and his eyes with a brilliant blue eyes shining out.

She wasn't sure how long her mouth and been open and how long she'd been staring at him when the blonde haired girl walked up and asked her, "You know him or something?"

She mutely nodded her head yes and dully answered, "That's my boyfriend; that's Danny."

**Tomorrow she'll be rolling down I10, Baton Rouge, LSU, eighteen years in her rearview.  
He's got a Friday paycheck lined up down the block, at daddy's shop, it ain't much but it's a job.  
They've been insert part I don't know all summer long.  
But here it is, they don't have long, the night before, life goes on! yeah, yeah.  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.**

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I was told about a book called something like The Lady and the Tiger and the book ended with the guy not being able to know if he could trust the princess. It didn't tell about what his decision led to. It leaves you in suspence.

Need I say more about this ending? And no matter how much I may or may not be begged, I will not write another chapter. You must dream up how you want it to end and read between the lines about many many things (but no one has my permission to actually write and post it unless you privatly send me what you have written up.) Feel free to ask any questions you're mind burns with. I may or may not answer them, but it's worth a shot.

Nuff said-


End file.
